Akali Dal reserves 50% seats for workers below 50

Chandigarh, Sep 2 (IANS) Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal on Friday announced a set of changes aimed at strengthening the party as well as giving more space to youth and women by reserving 50 per cent seats for party workers below 50 years of age.

The SAD chief told the media here that the party would stick to its core principles, including the need for a true federal structure, taking all sections of society and people from all religious faiths with it.

He said SAD, the oldest regional party with a 102-year-old track record, would continue to rise to serve the regional aspirations of people of Punjab.

Calling upon Punjabis to understand which parties wanted to divide them for their petty political goals, Badal announced it would concentrate on developing the next generation of leaders by reserving 50 per cent seats in the forthcoming assembly election for party workers who were below the age of 50 years.

He said the changes would be effected at the highest level of decision making in the party -- the core committee -- also.

He said the core committee would be reconstituted to include members of the new generation, including the youth, the women and representatives of all sections of society.

He also announced the party would henceforth follow the principle of one family, one ticket. He announced that upon formation of the government chairmanships at both the district and state level would be given to party workers and that family members of MPs and MLAs would not be considered for these posts.

"The aim is to give maximum opportunity to workers and groom them as the next generation of leaders." He also announced that henceforth district presidents would not contest the elections.

Badal said elections to the new organisational structure would be completed by November 30 under the supervision of the central election body.

He said 117 observers would be appointed to oversee the entire exercise across all constituencies of the state. "The focus will be on creation of booth committees which will choose the booth president. The latter will elect the circle presidents who in turn will elect the district presidents."

Badal announced that the President of the party would be eligible to hold office for two terms of five years each following which the incumbent would have to take a break of one term. "This will lead to induction of fresh leadership at the very top," he added.